(21 June 08 - RV) On Saturday evening young people gathered in prayer vigil in Quebec
Canada ahead of Sunday's culmination of the week long International Eucharistic Congress.
There the thousands of young people drawn from across the five continents to the northern
American city received a special pre-recorded video message from the Pope, in which
he asked them to be witnesses to the Eucharist in the heart of the world.
The
message delivered in French and English exhorted the youthful pilgrims to take the
spirit of the congress to others when they return home:
“Do not forget
that the Sunday Eucharist is a loving encounter with the Lord that we cannot do without.
When you recognize him “at the breaking of bread”, like the disciples at Emmaus, you
will become his companions. He will help you to grow and to give the best of yourselves.
Remember that in the bread of the Eucharist, Christ is really, totally and substantially
present. It is therefore in the mystery of the Eucharist, at Mass and during silent
adoration before the Blessed Sacrament of the altar, that you will meet him in a privileged
way. By opening your very being and your whole life under the gaze of Christ, you
will not be crushed – quite the contrary: you will discover that you are infinitely
loved. You will receive the power that you need in order to build your lives and
to make the choices that present themselves to you every day. Before the Lord, in
the silence of your hearts, some of you may feel called to follow him in a more radical
way in the priesthood or the consecrated life. Do not be afraid to listen to this
call and to respond with joy. As I said at the inauguration of my pontificate, God
takes nothing away from those who give themselves to him. On the contrary, he gives
them everything. He comes to draw out the best that is in each one of us, so that
our lives can truly flourish”.